Car shut off and turned on immediately after turning on highbeams

[Camry LE 94]

I have a brand new Duralast battery with 600 amps for cold cranking.

When I started my car cold and proceeded to drive, I turned the high beams on and all of the sudden the battery shut down instantly, but it instantaneously turned everything back on and the car was driving like nothing happened.

It did this right after I pushed both front-window buttons also, and I noticed the lights got very dim, then the battery reset once more.

Could this be a weak alternator problem, or could it be from the cold weather?

[haux]

Originally Posted by Camry LE 94

I have a brand new Duralast battery with 600 amps for cold cranking.

When I started my car cold and proceeded to drive, I turned the high beams on and all of the sudden the battery shut down instantly, but it instantaneously turned everything back on and the car was driving like nothing happened.

It did this right after I pushed both front-window buttons also, and I noticed the lights got very dim, then the battery reset once more.

Could this be a weak alternator problem, or could it be from the cold weather?

I had the same issue last winter in Minnesota. But in my case it was an old battery. A month or two later I could hardly run any electronics without the battery dying on and off. So I replaced it and problem solved.
AutoZone can test your alternator for free.

Did you clean the battery terminals? Do the battery cables look to be in good shape?

[Chris Crash]

Sounds like a mixture of weak alternator and cold weather. Cold weather realllllllly takes the life out of electronics when the car is just warming up!

[Mike Gerber]

Could be a weak battery, a weak alternator, or poor (corroded) connections at the battery or the alternator. My guess (and it's just a guess) is a weak alternator, especially if it's the original one with 220,000 miles on the car. Have this checked out. Many auto parts stores offer free testing of the battery and charging system while still on the car. Call around to auto parts stores in your area and ask if they offer this free service.

Mike

[Camry LE 94]

yes it must be the alternator because the battery is brand new and the connections look fine. thanks for your input Mike

[#2!]

Originally Posted by Camry LE 94

yes it must be the alternator because the battery is brand new and the connections look fine. thanks for your input Mike

Just because a battery is new doesn't eliminate it as a possible cause. They can come from the factory defective and work fine at first. The fact that it is brand new and this just happened triggers it as possibility in my mind.

So get that alternator tested before you buy or spend time replacing anything. Good Luck.